I need some help with things like exploitation and build order for best development of systems, research order for best start, which planets to colonize first, how to figure out population growth, when to build colony ships, when to build colony bases, stuff like that.

If you know of any guide that has been posted, please link, if you don't know of a guide but know what I want to know please post.

The best place is dev game forum, there's a FAQ that is a must read to newbies and search for tutorial in the forum, I haven't tried myself the tutorial but feedback to it is very positive. Link of forum (scroll down to see main posts of main section) :